This invention relates to coverings and awnings for golf cars. More, specifically, the present invention relates to a full enclosure protective covering for a golf car with a rear golf bag storage area cover. The full enclosure protective covering encloses a passenger compartment of the golf car and the rear golf bag storage area cover covers over golf clubs, which may be stored in the rear of the golf car behind the passenger compartment.
A standard golf car has an area for stowage or storage of golf clubs and other equipment at the rear of the car. While the car""s roof covers persons riding in the car, it leaves the equipment in the stowage area uncovered. Golfing equipment can be very expensive, and it is undesirable for it to get wet because of rain. As such, a cover extending over the rear stowage area of the car is desirable. However, ready access by a golfer to his equipment is essential, so the cover should not obstruct the golfers ability to reach for clubs as needed. Further, if rainy conditions are not present, the cover is not needed and must be moved out of the way. There exist retractable covers that extend over the car""s stowage area, but they often do so in a cumbersome fashion. While some covers, when deployed, may do an adequate job in keeping rain off the equipment, they do not fold away in a neat, compact fashion when retracted after use. Still other disadvantages found in the prior art designs include inconvenient mounting arrangements for attaching the cover to the golf car, supporting frameworks which are cumbersome and unduly complicated and which do not adequately support the fabric, and inadequate mounting arrangements for securing the cover to the golf car at or near the canopy top thereof. This is especially a problem in that there are several major manufacturers of golf cars who have varying arrangements for their canopy tops, some of which have curvilinear edges not readily suited to alignment with a standardized bracket member.
Furthermore, as there is concern in providing clearance for the removal and replacement of golf clubs from the golf bags as they are carried near the rear portion of the golf car, these canopy tops are generally shortened and do not extend into the area immediately above the golf bag compartment. This then provides a challenge for the cover in that it must conveniently extend to provide adequate rain cover for golf bags but yet be readily collapsible up and out of the way of the bags and their clubs. As a result, care must be taken in designing and implementing a supporting framework. In other words, the framework must be large enough to allow for it being extended a substantial distance behind the rear portion of the top assembly which necessarily makes it xe2x80x9csubstantialxe2x80x9d having some degree of relative size which increases its weight and complexity. With this added weight and complexity, mounting and operation become important issues as the cover must give the appearance and feel of a quality product in this luxury setting.
Additionally, it is often desired to provide the golf car with a protective covering that protects the inside of the golf car or the passenger compartment from the elements. However, conventional approaches to protecting or enclosing the passenger compartment have many disadvantages. Conventional protective coverings are generally designed to cover over the entire golf car. The coverings are typically arranged as rectangular shaped bag-like structures that drape over the entire golf car, including the rear golf bag storage area, from the canopy. The typical coverings have a flat bottom panel that is placed over the canopy, and the four generally rectangular panels cover over the sides and front and back of the golf car. Some of these types of coverings render the golf car not usable when the covering is installed. Although some designs of these coverings have doors provided through the sides to allow use of the golf car with the protective covering, their use is nevertheless cumbersome as the coverings tend to also cover over the rear golf bag storage area thereby rendering it inaccessible. Additionally, the traditional coverings do not typically allow the golf car user to selectively remove panels as may be desired depending upon the climate and the golf car""s mode of use. Also, the traditional coverings cannot be aesthetically and effectively integrated with rear golf bag storage area covers.
Among the advantageous aspects disclosed herein is the provision of a retractable awning for the rear equipment stowage area of a golf car. The awning is comprised of a framework having a fabric covering extended over a plurality of U-shaped rib members joined in pivoting relationship at their ends at a common pivot point. The rib members are moveable relative to each other so that the awning can be moved in fan-like fashion between an open, deployed position to a closed, retracted position. A first top rib member forms the top, forward lateral edge of the awning, and each successive rib member supports a portion of the fabric to give structural shape to the awning in its deployed state. Each successive rib member has an incrementally smaller dimension than its preceding rib member such that all the rib members can be nested together in a common plane when the awning is in the closed retracted position. Sleeves are disposed on the inner surface of the fabric to receive the rib members which allows the fabric to deploy smoothly over the framework. A fabric flap is provided with the awning to enable the loose awning fabric to be gathered neatly together when the awning is held against the rear edge of the carts roof in the closed retracted state.
Several arrangements are shown for mounting the awning to the golf car. In a first arrangement, the awning is attached to the rear of a golf car by fastening the top rib member to the rear edge area of the roof of the golf car. The respective pivot points of the rib members are supported against the car""s vertical support posts. Alternately, the first top rib member is supported along its vertical length to the car""s vertical support post with the pivot points being freely suspended. The support for the first top rib member may be provided in a number of ways. One option is to provide two support brackets which extend between each side of the first top rib member and its corresponding upstanding support arm provided by the golf car manufacturer for supporting the preexisting canopy top. In this arrangement, a transition plate is provided attached to the medial portion of the first top rib member with an upturned flange with cushioning for being tucked up under the overhanging lip of the canopy top. This provides an overlapping arrangement which may either be spaced apart or urged against each other to allow for a smooth and clean transition between the add-on awning cover and the golf car.
Depending upon the choice made by the designer, the awning may thus be spaced apart from the canopy top or urged against it by locating the mounting brackets appropriately. As can be appreciated, switching between these alternatives is readily available by loosening and relocating the brackets.
As disclosed herein, another alternative for mounting the awning cover to the golf car includes providing a top mounting bracket which itself is substantially U-shaped and which extends between upstanding support members of the canopy top on opposite sides of the car and to which it may be conveniently bolted in fixed position. As a typical golf car does not provide a support framework including a bracket or other member extending across the back of the canopy top, this top mounting bracket provides a fixed and solid connection point for the transition plate. Thus, the transition plate may itself be conveniently bolted to the top mounting bracket which in turn is bolted to the upstanding support members of the golf car itself. This provides a solid bolted connection for supporting the awning cover to the integral framework supporting the canopy top. In several prior art designs, covers are secured to the canopy top itself instead of any supporting framework which is not particularly desirable in that the canopy tops are universally provided as molded plastic members. Thus, prior art covers attached to the molded plastic canopy top are not nearly as securely mounted to provide the solid and substantial mounting of the present invention. This can be important in that many golf cars are rented and subject to abuse by their users.
Among the other advantages set forth in the disclosure is the provision of a retractable awning for attachment to the rear of a golf car to protect equipment stored in the car""s stowage area. The disclosure also provides a retractable awning having a framework comprised of rib members that nest together in planar alignment when in a closed retracted position, and a retractable awning having a framework surrounding substantially the periphery of the fabric cover. Additionally, a retractable awning is disclosed having a transition plate for transitioning between the fabric awning and the canopy top of the golf car to thereby allow the awning to be spaced further rearwardly to thereby optimize its positioning over the golf bag compartment area of the car. Additionally, a retractable awning is disclosed with a supporting framework including a top mounting bracket which itself is substantially U-shaped for being bolted to opposite sides of the golf car upstanding support members and the transition plate to thereby provide a solid bolted connection between the forward edge of the awning and the supporting framework of the golf car. Additionally, a retractable awning is disclosed having a framework including a first rib member at the forward edge of the fabric cover which itself is secured directly to the upstanding support members by a pair of brackets on each side of the golf car to thereby securely fasten the awning cover to the golf car without being secured to the canopy top of the golf car. Also, a retractable awning is disclosed having a framework comprised of a nesting plurality of U-shaped rib members for readily being moved between an extended deployed position and a retracted stored position.
Among the aspects of the present invention is the provision of a protective covering for a golf car having the advantages of a full enclosure protective cover and a rear golf bag storage area cover or bag cover.
In one aspect of the present invention, the protective covering includes left and right side curtains that are adapted to hang from the canopy to enclose a portion of the passenger compartment and a rear bag cover that is adapted to extend over the rear golf bag storage area from the canopy. The protective covering may include a rear side flap that is adapted to extend between each of the side curtains and the rear bag cover. In this way, the rear side flap may be arranged to extend downward a distance sufficient to cover over an area between the rear golf bag storage area and the passenger compartment while permitting access to the area between the rear golf bag storage area and the passenger compartment from a side of the golf car.
In another aspect of the present invention, a protective covering for a golf car is provided having left and right side curtains and a rear curtain extending between the left and right side curtains. Each of the left and right side and rear curtains is adapted to hang from the canopy to enclose a portion of the passenger compartment. The rear curtain is adapted to hang from the canopy in a manner such that the rear curtain is positioned between the passenger compartment and the rear golf bag storage area adjacent a pair of spaced apart support posts that are located at a rear of the canopy. In this way, the rear area of the golf car including the rear golf bag storage area is unobstructed by the covering, and a user may easily access the rear golf bag storage area and/or the baskets and accessories generally located to the side and rear of the golf car between the passenger compartment and the rear golf bag storage area.
Another aspect of the present invention is the provision of a protective covering for a golf car having left and right side curtains, a rear curtain extending between the left and right side curtains, and a rear bag cover adapted to extend over the rear golf bag storage area from the canopy. Each of the left and right side curtains is adapted to hang from the canopy to enclose a portion of the passenger compartment. The rear curtain is adapted to be positionable between the passenger compartment and the rear golf bag storage area adjacent a pair of spaced apart support posts that are located at a rear of the canopy. Preferably, the rear bag cover is of the type that is moveable between a retracted position in which the rear golf bag storage compartment is exposed and deployed position in which the rear bag cover covers over the rear golf bag storage compartment.
As will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the present invention provides a protective covering for a golf car that is convenient to use and aesthetically pleasing. The protective cover of the present invention also provides the user with desired accessibility to items on the golf car while protecting the passenger compartment from the elements as needed. These and other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will be set forth by example and not limitation in the drawings figures and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment which follow.